Suction cleaner handle construction



March 26, 1957 E. J. KASPER SUCTION CLEANER HANDLE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 30, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

INVENTOR. ELMER J. KASPER ATTORNEYS March 26, 19 57 E. J. KASPER SUCTION CLEANER HANDLE CONSTRUCTICN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 30, 1954 KASPER JNVENTOR.

ELMER J.

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ATTORNEYS United States Patent SUCTION CLEANER HANDLE CONSTRUCTION Elmer J. Kasper, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Royal Appliance Mfg. Co., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application April 30, 1954, Serial No. 426,811

5 Claims. (Cl. 200-157) This invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularly it pertains to a handle construction for a suction cleaner.

Generally, suction cleaners of the horizontal type involved herein have included a cylindrical tank housing having a detachable closure bell at each end, an electric switch, and a handle. Each of these parts has usually been separate and individually attached to the housing. Yet they have not always represented a satisfactory combination of appearance, functionality and cost.

Heretofore, handles for suction cleaner have satisfied the aspect of appearance at a relatively high cost. Usually the handles have been made of die cast metals or plastics. Others have been made of woods. Die casting and wood carving procedures for making such handles are expensive. Moreover, such handles have been attached to the tank housing by means of screws, access to which has been from the inside of the housing;

The device of the present invention is intended to provide a functional handle for a suction cleaner that has graceful lines. From the marketability standpoint, the desirability of having a handle with graceful appearance is manifest. From the production standpoint, such a handle should be provided within certain limits of functionality and cost.

The functional requisites include comfort and simplicity of attachment to the cleaner. With a comfortable handle the cleaner can be carried from one place to another with a minimum of elfort. The stamped metal handle herein provided includes a resilient buffer strip at the undersurface of the handle for the comfort of the operator.

Moreover, a handle should be easy to attach to the cleaner housing. This requisite not only reduces the original assembly cost, but also minimizes service and maintenance expenses.

In order to achieve a satisfactory combination of the foregoing attributes, the device of the present invention is provided as a handle stamped from sheet material. The general shape of the handle includes inclined walls and is devoid of complicated parts or sharp corners. In addition, the handle is not a fully closed member. That is the edges of the stamped metal are not joined to form a tubular transverse cross-section. For these reasons a complicated retooling is eliminated and an attractive handle is obtained at a minimum cost.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of thi invention to provide a handle for a suction cleaner that is comfortable.

It is another object of this invention to provide a suction cleaner handle that has a graceful appearance.

It is another object of this invention to provide a suction cleaner handle with a minimum of parts that are easy to assemble and service.

Another object of this invention is to provide a handle which houses the shut-off switch for the motor within the cleaner.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a blanks.

2,786,920 Patented Mar. 26, 1957 ICC handle that is attached to the housing of the cleaner by the same means by which the end closure bell is attached to the housing.

Finally, it is an object of this invention to provide a handle for a suction cleaner which is inexpensive in construction and which satisfies the foregoing objects and desiderata.

These and other objects and advantages apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and claims may be attained, the stated results achieved, and the described difiiculties overcome, by the discoveries, principles, apparatus, parts, combinations, subcombinations and elements which comprise the present invention, the nature of which is set forth in the following general statement, the preferred embodiment of whichillust rative of the best mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principles-is set forth in the following description, and which is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims forming part hereof.

In general, the suction cleaner handle constituting the present invention may be stated as preferably including a longitudinally bowed member of sheet-like material having end portions abutting the outer surface of the cleaner and an intermediate portion integral with said end portions, the intermediate portion being provided at its undersurface with a resilient pad, one of said end portions having a hooked flange for insertion into a hook-receiving slot in the housing, the other of said end portions having a flange adapted for assembly with the housing and an end closure member attached to the housing and said latter end of the handle enclosing a shut-ofi switch extending from the housing, and the upper surface of said end being provided with an opening through whichextends the outer end of the switch and which is covered by an opening cap movable therein.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which are illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention, by way of example, and in which similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a horizontal tank-type suction cleaner showing a handle mounted on the top portion thereof;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinal, sectional view showing the manner in which the handle is attached to the upper portion of the cleaner housing and in which an electric switch is enclosed within the handle;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the handle shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is an end view of the handle taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2. 7

As shown in Fig. l, a suction cleaner is generally indicated at 1. It includes a cylindrical tank housing 2, an end-closure member or bell 3 attached to one end of the tank housing 2, an end-closure member or bell 4 attached to the other end of the tank housing 2 by means of a pair of similar toggle clamps 5, a pedestal 6 on which the tank housing 2 is mounted, an electric shut-off switch 7 (Fig. 2) attached to and extending through the housing 2, and a handle, generally indicated at 8, on the top portion of the housing 2.

The handle 8 is a longitudinally bowed member having end portions 9 and 10 and an intermediate portion 11, which portions are integral. The handle 8 is formed of sheet metal, preferably steel, which is stamped from In addition, the handle 8 includes a resilient pad or insert 12, is provided with an opening 13 in the top surface of the end portion 10, and includes a switch platform or cover 14 movably mounted on the handle within the opening 13.

Theend portions 9 and 10 are formed with flared Walls.

15 and 16, respectively, which join the substantially longitudinal walls of the intermediate portion 11 in smooth curves rather than sharp corners. Moreover, the edges of the walls 15 and 16, abutting the outer surface of the tank housing 2, extend laterally on each side of a vertical plane passing through the axis of the handle, thereby preventing wobbling of the handle on the housing. 7

At the forward end of the end portion 9 of thehandle 8 is an attaching flange or hook 17 (Figs. 2 and 3) and at the rear end of the end portion 10 is a flange 18. Both of the flanges 17 and 18 are integral with the handle 8. The hook 17 extends through a slot 19 in the housing 2 and the flange 18 is mounted between overlapping portions 20 and 21 of the housing 2 and the bell 3, respectively. The overlapping portions 20 and 21 as well as the flange 18 therebetween are provided with apertures 22, 23 and 24, respectively, which are aligned to receive an assembly screw 25. With the flanges 17 and 18 mounted as shown, the abutting edges of the sidewalls and 16 of the handle 8 are properly disposed in abutment with the outer surface of the housing 2. Hence, the handle 8 is secured in place without any lateral or longitudinal shifting and without any wobbling of the handle 8 with respect to the housing.

Further, the S-shaped hook 17 includes an arcuate portion 17a and a bent extremity 171;. This configuration gives springiness to the hook 17 for holding the handle 8 tightly to the housing 2 and in tension with respect thereto.

. In order to seal the interior of the tank housing 2 as much as possible from air leakage, the slot 19 in the housing through which the hook 17 extends is covered internally with a gasket pad 26 (Figs. 2 and 3). In addition, the connection between the bell 3 and the adjacent end of the housing 2 is sealed by an annular gasket 27.

The manner in which the resilient pad is mounted within the handle 8 is shown in Fig. 4. The intermediate portion 11 of the handle has a C-shaped transverse crosssection with opposed spaced edges 28 and 29 extending parallel between the end portions 9 and 10. This construction is adapted to receive the resilient pad 12 which has a central longitudinal rib 30 and which is provided with grooves 32 and 33 on opposite edges to receive the respective edges 28 and 29 of the intermediate portion 11. Thus, when the pad 12 is in place within the handle 8, the rib 30 extends internally to the inner surface of the intermediate portion 11 to support the lower external portion of the pad 12. Moreover, the grooves 32 and 33 co-operate with the rib 30 in this purpose, thereby presenting a soft undersurface 34 for the intermediate portion 11 of the handle 8.

The foregoing construction of the intermediate portion 11 and of the pad 12 permits the use of a relatively inexpensive handle for a suction cleaner; the resilient pad 12, being preferably rubber, is cut to the desired length from elongated rubber strip material.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the end portion 10 of the handle 8, having flared sidewalls 16, encloses the portion of the electric shut-off switch 7, which extends through the housing 2. Surmounting the switch 7 is a switch-actuating member or plunger 35 by which the switch is actuated for starting and stopping the usual fan motor within the housing 2. The plunger 35 extends above the opening 13 in the end portion 10 and contacts the undersurface of the switch cover 14. The switch cover 14 is hingedly mounted in place, it being provided with a slot 36 through which extends a bent flange or ear 37 integral with the handle 8. In addition, the cover 14 includes a flange 38 at the end opposite the slot 36 by which the cover is retained in position within the-opening 13. Thus, the cover 14, having a skirt portion 39 integral with its top surface and extending to the interior of the end portion 10 through the aperture 13, presents a contoured closure having a pleasing appearance.

At such times as is desirable to start or stop an electr'ic 4 motor enclosed Within the housing 2, the switch plunger 35 is depressed by pressing the cover 14. The switch 7 is connected to a motor by a wire 40 in a conventional manner.

Hence, many advantages are provided by the new handle construction for a suction cleaner. These advantages include a handle stamped from sheet metal incorporating a rubber pad, enclosure means for a shut-off switch, the entire assembly of which is held in place by means of a pair of flanges at either end, one of which flanges is secured by one screw which also secures the end bell to the housing. Moreover, this construction permits the assembly of the handle to the housing without the use of separate pieces and without the need of extensive disassembling the cleaner to remove the handle for maintenance purposes. Nor is it necessary to attach the handle to the housing by the use of screws, access to which may be had at a location on the inner surface of the housing substantially midway between the ends thereof.

In addition, the handle provides a comfortable means for carrying the cleaner, the handle having a rubber insert which serves as a buffer for the hard metal surface of the handle.

Finally, these advantages include an attractively contoured handle made from relatively inexpensive materials by low cost procedures. This particular contour of the handle eliminates complicated tooling that is necessary for stamped metal handles having fully closed crosssections. By substituting stamped sheet steel handle having flared sidewalls and devoid of joined edges for a relatively expensive solid die-cast metal or plastic handle, a satisfactory handle is provided which can be attached to a suction cleaner housing with a minimum of parts and time. Instead of joining the edges of the handle at the undersurface of the intermediate portion, the edges are merely inturned in spaced relationship with respect to each other, thereby providing means by which the rubber insert may be retained in place.

Finally, the handle construction for a suction cleaner of the present invention provides a construction that has a minimum of parts, that improves the appearance of the several-members usually located at the top of a tank-type suction cleaner, and that is provided with a minimum of cost.

The embodiment of the improved construction illustrated and described herein is by way of example, and

the scope of the present invention or discovery is not limited to the exact details of construction set forth.

Having now described the features, construction and principles of invention, the characteristics of the new suction cleaner handle construction, and the advantageous 'new and useful results provided thereby; the new and useful discoveries, principles, parts, elements, combinations, structures and arrangements and mechanical equivalents obvious. to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A handle construction for a suction cleaner having an open-end tank housing and a housing closure member, said member having a peripheral portion overlying the end of the housing, the overlying portions of the housing and member having aligned apertures, and a screw mounted in said apertures, including a longitudinally bowed handle attached to the housing, the housing being provided with a slot, the handle having an integral hook at one end within'the slot, the handle also having a flange at the other end inserted between the overlapping-portions of the housing and the closure member, said flange being provided with an aperture aligned with the apertures in said overlapping portions, the handle being provided with a longitudinal opening in the surface facing the housing, a resilient insert within said opening, and the handle having end portions with downwardly flared walls contacting the surface of the tank housing at locations spaced on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the handle.

2. A handle construction for a suction cleaner having an open-end tank housing and a housing closure member, said member having a peripheral portion overlying the end of the housing, the overlying portions of the housing and enclosure member having aligned apertures, a screw in said apertures, and an electric switch extending through the housing at a location spaced from said end of the housing and having a shut-off plunger, including a longitudinally bowed handle attached to the housing, the housing being provided with a slot spaced from the end to which the closure member is attached, the handle having a hook at one end extending through the slot and having an integral flange at the other end inserted between the overlying portions of the housing and the closure member, the flange being provided with an aperture aligned with the apertures in the overlying portions of the closure member of the housing, the handle having a longitudinal opening in the surface facing the housing, a resilient insert mounted in said opening, the handle being provided with an aperture adjacent the insert through which aperture the switch plunger extends, a cover movably mounted within the aperture enclosing the plunger, and the handle having end portions with downwardly flared walls contacting the surface of the tank housing at locations spaced on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the handle.

3. A handle construction for a suction cleaner having an open-end tank housing and a housing closure member, said member having a peripheral portion overlapping the end of the housing, the overlapping portions having aligned apertures, a screw extending through said apertures, including a longitudinally bowed handle formed of sheet metal attached to the housing and having end portions abutting the housing, the handle also having an intermediate portion spaced from the housing, the housing being provided with a slot, one end portion of the handle being provided with an integral hook extending through the slot, the other end portion of the handle being provided with an integral flange inserted between the overlapping portions of the housing and the closure memher, the flange being provided with an aperture aligned with the apertures in said overlapping portions, the intermediate portion having a C-shaped transverse cross-section with opposed spaced edges, a resilient insert mounted between the spaced edges, and the insert having longitudinal grooves engaging the spaced edges of the intermediate portion.

4. The construction defined in claim 3, in which the insert includes a longitudinal central rib in abutment with the inner surface of the intermediate portion.

5. A handle construction for a tank-type cleaner including a longitudinally bowed member, resilient spring means at one end of the member engageable with the tank, attaching means engaging the other end of the member to the tank, the member including a portion having an oval cross-section, cushioning means on the undersurface of the portion, and the handle having end portions with downwardly flared walls contacting the surface of the tank housing at locations spaced on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

